Final Stop - Ho Chi Minh City
Our final leg of our 8 month adventure! 4 days in Ho Chi Minh City!
We really did pack it in over these 4 days and tried to see as much as possible. Ideally we would have wanted to explore this fascinating country for at least 1 month. However we had to fly back home early to prepare for another adventure ...
Day 1. We spent all day exploring the city on foot, not before trying the most famous noodle soup in Vietnam - Pho Bo
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| Hmmmm Pho Bo for breakfast |
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| Saigon opera house in the background |
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| Town Hall |
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| Notre Dame |
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| Post Office |
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| It was heavy! |
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| Palace in the background |
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| How many bikes! |
One of the most interesting places we visited during our first day was the War Remnants Museum. This museum had many informative exhibitions and explains the country's bloody past through photographs, artifacts and memorabilia. Some of it was a little bit disturbing but we both learnt a lot about the terrible effects the war had on Vietnam and its people.
Day 2. We decided that we must see the Mekong Delta so we booked a 1 day trip which involved boating up the river and stopping off at various places to take photos and learn about Vietnamese culture.
The Vietnamese use the Mekong as a highway to transport all sorts of goods. I was surprised that the below boat actually floated!!
We stopped off at a brick making factory and although this sounds really dull, it was actually really interesting!
Another stop was to visit a sweet factory. These sweets were made out of coconut milk and peanuts. I sampled quite a few of them and they were yummy!
We also visited a mat 'factory'.
Day 3. Another day trip, this time to the famous Cu Chi tunnels! If I am honest, I didn't have a clue what these were all about, but I am so pleased that we went to go and see them - absolutely fascinating and this trip really complimented the previous trip to the War Remnants Museum.
In the evening we went to the spectacular AO show which was located in the beautiful Saigon opera house.
Day 4. Our final day! Making the most of the cheap spa treatments, I spent all morning pampering myself while Roland waited for me in the hotel. Late afternoon we caught our final flight to London.
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| Our boat in the background |
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| Lotus Flowers |
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| Full of ceramic pots! |
We stopped off at a brick making factory and although this sounds really dull, it was actually really interesting!
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| Clay molded into bricks |
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| Bricks lined up inside the kiln |
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| Doorway to the kiln |
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| Kilns from outside |
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| Our captain |
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| Coconuts |
Another stop was to visit a sweet factory. These sweets were made out of coconut milk and peanuts. I sampled quite a few of them and they were yummy!
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| Small family business |
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| Weaving mats |
For lunch we were taken to a small family restaurant in one of the tiny villages just off the Mekong. We ate Elephant Ear Fish (that really was its name) and fresh Vietnamese rolls. I had a go at rolling my own - actually a lot harder than you would think!
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| Elephant Ear Fish! |
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| Entertainment. |
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| I rolled that one.. |
Day 3. Another day trip, this time to the famous Cu Chi tunnels! If I am honest, I didn't have a clue what these were all about, but I am so pleased that we went to go and see them - absolutely fascinating and this trip really complimented the previous trip to the War Remnants Museum.
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| Model showing how the tunnels looked under ground |
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| In he goes.... |
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| Trap - OUCH!!! |
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| Air vent from the tunnels |
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| First time shooting a gun! |
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| In I go..... |
In the evening we went to the spectacular AO show which was located in the beautiful Saigon opera house.
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| AO gang |
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| HCMC by night... |
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| Outside our hotel |
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| The end of our little adventure |
